By Linda Hemmila
It must be fall because there are gourds galore at Monterey Market. For more than 10 years, the fresh produce store on Hopkins Street has offered an astonishing supply of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes stacked for climbing much to the delight of their youngest customers. Henry Schuin, a long-time Monterey Market employee, says it’s a tradition they have upheld it for as long as he can remember.
In front of the store is also a mammoth gourd awaiting your guess at its girth. Yesterday was the first day of the guess the weight of the Pumpkin Contest which will run though Halloween, according to Schuin. The weight of the pumpkin is top secret and Sichuan says there is only one person in the whole store who knows the answer. Guesses will be evaluated after Halloween and the winner will be notified.
Linda Hemmila is a freelance writer who lives in Berkeley.
